It's scary out there! And what's every scarier, is that we can bring all that nastiness into our homes. Our hygiene behavior can directly affect our home and families. Having little ones, including high-risk little ones, means we need to be extra careful about how we keep clean and healthy.
Take off your shoes!
We should all be doing this anyways. Walking around the world and then walking around in your house is some serious cross-contamination. Going to the grocery, getting gas, or doing literally anything where someone could have sneezed onto the floor means you're carrying that junk home! Some people go as far as leaving their shoes outside. Now me personally, I don't want cold, wet, or missing shoes, so right inside the door is good enough. Thinking about what you step in, and then picture your babies licking that same surface. Yuck! That was for dramatic effect, but keep in mind that they're going to be crawling/rolling around and you know how they are with putting things in their mouths. In short, take off your shoes, and put on a pair of slippers when you walk in the door.
Wash your clothes & body
Germs can glob onto hard surfaces and soft surfaces like fabric. If you're spending the day at work or going anywhere where there's some serious people contact (riding the subway, sitting in a doc's office) you're going to want to strip off those clothes. I'm a big fan of Lysol laundry sanitizer. I'm not a fan of strong scents so I get the dye/scent free version. Also a good idea to shower once you're home, get all the germs off and feel fresh before playing with the little ones.
Hand sanitizer is not enough
It helps, but it does not eliminate the problems! Our home nurse told us that (not all) hand sanitizers don't kill viruses; they're good at killing bacteria but you really need to be washing away the germs with soap and water.
Wipe down all surfaces
We know the basics: doorknobs, kitchen counters, toilets. But you missed a spot! Actually you missed quite a few! Wipe down your phone, banisters, doorframes, keyboards, steering wheel, car doors, laundry baskets, washer/dryer doors, fridge doors. Don't forget the cabinets where you keep your cleaning products too!
Occupy your hands
All I hear these days is "Don't touch your face!" Easier said than done, right? If I've learned anything from this pandemic is that I freaking love touching my face. The best way for me to not do this, is to have something in my hand. When I'm watching a video or playing around on the computer, I often have my hand on my face... whether it's biting my nails (I know, ew!) or resting my chin on my palm. The only way I've been able to combat this is while holding something in that free hand. It could be a pen, highlighter, or stress ball - this actually works!
Be the enforcer
You are your (and your family's) biggest advocate. No one else is going to say "don't touch that baby!" So it has to be you. With everything going on in the world, I think most people get the hint to stay away, but there's some that won't. On our first outing, someone stuck their finger in my daughter's mouth and I almost died. NOT OKAY! From then on, I have to be the goalie. It's OKAY to tell someone "Please don't touch him/her, they're still new!" Or "Could you wash your hands first? We're just trying to be extra careful." And 99.99% of the time, they're abide by the rules.
Remember, it's a scary time in the world, so stay clean and stay safe!
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